


Guilty Pleasure

by SnailedIt_O_V



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Betaed by MS Word Read Aloud
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 09:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17999351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnailedIt_O_V/pseuds/SnailedIt_O_V
Summary: And you thought you knew these guys…turns out they all have secret hobbies and past times that not even their bandmates or most die-hard fans know about. Bet you’re just dying to find out what they are…





	Guilty Pleasure

**Author's Note:**

> Just to be clear, these are in no way based on anything cannon, headcannon, or general assumptions made by fans. I just thought certain characters doing certain things would be hilarious and decided to write terrible stories, inflicting upon the world my twisted sense of humour. However, if I have in any way managed to convince you that these situations could be the slightest bit plausible, leave a comment – I’d love to know what you think. This work won't be updated regularly, as I'm still working on another UtaPri series, but whenever I feel the need to be especially goofy, I'll update.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we discover the real reason Tokiya lists “vocals” as his instrument of choice.

            Reiji notices it about two months after he moves in with Tokiya and Otoya.

            Early on in their co-habitation, Reiji had gotten acquainted with his kouhais’ schedules and downtime activities. Otoya had been easy – he had been practically bursting at the seams to tell Reiji everything about himself and asking a million questions to find out what they had in common. Learning about the details of Tokiya's downtime preferences had required Reiji to exercise more patience, but eventually he had settled into the duo's rhythm, though these days he doesn’t hesitate to disrupt that rhythm when he feels a change of pace is necessary to help them grow.

            So when Tokiya disappears for about three hours on a Thursday evening despite not having anything scheduled with the agency and he's not in the library or the gazebo reading, Reiji is mildly intrigued but not overly concerned. He can’t help making an unnecessary fuss when Tokiya finally returns, partly because it’s fun and partly hoping he’ll find out where he went, but Tokiya refuses (as usual) to rise to Reiji’s bait, to Reiji’s disappointment.

            When Tokiya disappears again the next Thursday at the same time, and then the Thursday after that, Reiji's truly confused.

            “Otoyan?”

            “Hmm?” Otoya’s sitting on a cushion on the floor, noodling on his guitar, but stops strumming and looks over at Reiji. “What’s up, Rei-chan?”

            Reiji shifts position on his couch, trying to look nonchalant. “Did Toki ever go off somewhere on Thursdays when you were at the academy?”

            Otoya drapes his right arm over the body of his guitar and rests his chin on it, thinking. “Hard to say. He was so busy with his work as HAYATO that almost nothing about his day was regular. I’m sure he didn't like it – he likes things organized and methodical, you know?” He chuckles, and Reiji grins in agreement. “So yeah, he was gone most Thursdays, but he was hardly around on any other day of the week too. Why?”

            “Oh, you know, just looking out for my sweet, adorable kouhai, that's all!” He jumps up from the couch and tackles Otoya from behind, ruffling his hair while keeping him in a loose choke-hold. Otoya laughs and protests goodnaturedly, and Reiji hopes it's enough of a distraction to keep Otoya from thinking about it too much.

V_@_~~~~_@_V

            “Guys, check it out!”

            Syo bounds into the dorm’s common area waving a folder. Ren pokes Masato in the cheek to get him to put down the script he's reading, receiving a dignified scowl in return. Otoya looks up from teaching Cecil how to thumb-wrestle, while Natsuki and Tokiya set their books aside (Natsuki dogears the page of his cookbook while Tokiya slips a bookmark into his paperback).

            “What’s up, Syo?” Cecil asks.

            “We’ve got a group interview at that new music store that opened up!” Syo’s practically vibrating with excitement. “They want us to help promote their grand opening, which will help us get some extra publicity as well. Plus we get to show off our instrument skills!”

            “Wah! That’s amazing, Syo-chan!” Natsuki claps his hands together. “We don’t get to play our instruments for our fans that often.”

            “Plus we’ll get to try all kinds of top-of-the-line instruments,” Ren adds, nodding. “Seems like a great opportunity.”

            “What seems like a great opportunity?”

            The boys turn to see QUARTET NIGHT wander in, Reiji leading the way.

            Syo briefly recaps his explanation while handing out pieces of paper to everyone, adding, “It’s good you guys showed up when you did – you’re part of this too.”

            Reiji makes a show of examining his sheet of paper, but sneaks glances at his bandmembers to gauge their reactions. Unexpectedly, his gaze lands on Tokiya for a moment, and he catches him frowning a little at his paper. _Tokiya plays something, doesn’t he? Why does he look so concerned?_ Reiji’s dying to find out the source of Tokiya’s frown, but Syo’s instructions pull his attention away from his kouhai.

            “We have to fill out these forms letting the coordinator know which instruments we want to play to make sure they have what we need in stock,” Syo says, handing out forms. “It’s ok if we want to play more than one instrument, as long as we list what we want or agree to swap among ourselves. They want a kind of jam session atmosphere, I think.”

            “Should we prepare anything in particular?” Masato asks.

            “Nah, I don’t think so,” Syo says. “I mean, you can if you want, I guess, but be prepared to improvise too.”

            Otoya’s brow furrows. “How do you prepare to improvise? Isn’t that a…Tokiya, what’s that thing called when two words don’t go together?”

            “An oxymoron, perhaps?” Tokiya raises an eyebrow, the hint of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

            “Yeah! That’s it – an oxymoron!”

            The room descends into laughter, especially when Ren responds by draping his arm around Otoya’s shoulders and offering him improv lessons, while Camus, Ranmaru, and Ai look on with varying degrees of amusement carefully concealed as ambivalence. Reiji, however, can’t seem to stop thinking about the brief flash of worry that had crossed Tokiya’s face, and he’s determined to be a good senpai and figure out what the problem is.

V_@_~~~~_@_V

            In the end, Tokiya arranges to demonstrate the store’s high-quality AV equipment, collaborating with Ai to create an improvised piece highlighting vocal distortions and synthesizer effects. Reiji tries to join in but gets shot down by both Ai and Tokiya, who both claim that maracas are ill-suited for the type of music they’re demonstrating. Reiji dramatically slinks off, playing it up for the fans he knows will be watching, but once he’s out of the camera’s range, he keeps an eye on Tokiya. He’s looking for any indication of interest Tokiya has in any of the instruments, but Tokiya is a professional until the very end, never deviating from his focus on the AV equipment.

            _He’s almost too focused_ , Reiji suddenly thinks, _like he’s deliberately avoiding the instruments altogether. What on earth is going on?_

            All too soon, the event is over. Hands were clasped, thank-you’s were shared, bows were exchanged, and the idols all start filing out of the store. Reiji’s about to leave too, but remembers he’d forgotten his sweater on a piano bench when he had decided to mess with Masato at one point. Weaving in and out of the pianos on display and the recording crew packing up their equipment, he finally locates his sweater and heads towards it. As he’s about to grab it, he notices Tokiya slip around a corner down the hallway where the manager’s office is. Curious, Reiji casually saunters over to the hallway, hiding at the last second behind a shelf full of piano exercise books. He can’t see or hear very well from his vantage point, but what he does manage to pick up makes his heart clench.

            Tokiya is in quiet discussion with the store’s owner, and by the way they’re talking, Reiji’s pretty sure they know each other outside of this promotional event. Tokiya’s talking quietly, but he’s waving his hands for emphasis, which Reiji finds strange – Tokiya’s not really one for exaggerated movements off-camera. Suddenly, the owner reaches down and pulls up a large black case, gesturing one-handed with the same enthusiasm as Tokiya. Reiji’s itching to get closer, but he doesn’t dare blow his cover by getting too close. The owner places the case in Tokiya’s arms and opens the lid. Reiji can’t see what’s inside, but the way Tokiya’s face lights up means it’s something special. The owner closes the lid and picks up the case again. Reiji’s eyes widen as Tokiya fishes out his wallet and hands the owner the biggest wad of cash Reiji has ever seen in his life. _Ah, Toki, what are you doing?_ Reiji screams silently in his head. _The only reason you would be paying in cash is to keep something secret! It can’t be an instrument – there’s no need to hide that._ His fingers clench around the edge of the shelf as he watches the owner count Tokiya’s cash and sees him nod, satisfied with the amount. His mind cycles through all the movie tropes he’s watched and acted in over the years, where instrument cases often hide guns or drugs or illegal goods, and he panics. _Calm down, maybe I’m overreacting_ , he tells himself. _Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding. I’ll find out when Toki drags that big case home_. But then, Tokiya doesn’t take the mysterious case. Instead he bows and heads toward the main part of the store. Reiji wills himself invisible, squeezing his eyes shut, and just barely catches Tokiya’s final words to the owner.

            “I’ll leave it to you then. I’ll see you next Thursday.”

            _Thursday? As in, wherever Toki disappears to on Thursday?_ Now, more than ever, Reiji is determined to find out what kind of shady dealings Tokiya’s involved in. He only hopes he’s not too late to rescue him from whatever trouble he may be in.

V_@_~~~~_@_V

            Next Thursday finds Reiji tailing Tokiya through the late afternoon pedestrian traffic. They’re both wearing disguises, but where Tokiya’s just trying to avoid being spotted by fans, Reiji’s trying to avoid being spotted by Tokiya, who already knows what Reiji looks like in disguise. Every fiber in Reiji’s being is tight with anxiety, and for the umpteenth time he wishes he had taken someone with him for backup, just in case Tokiya really is in over his head. Reiji wants to believe in the innocence of his kouhai – he really does – but Tokiya’s behaviour just doesn’t add up.

            Reiji follows Tokiya all the way to the train station, where he fishes out a key and heads over to a set of lockers. He watches as Tokiya unlocks one of the lockers and hauls out a case that’s a similar size and shape as the one he dropped money on back in the music store.

 _They’re going to do an exchange!_ Reiji holds his head in panic. _The idol life has finally sucked Toki down, dragged him over to the dark side, and he’s in too deep to get out. I gotta see this through to the end, no matter what. I’m here for you, Toki! Hang on!_

            Tokiya hefts the case so he’s holding it comfortably, then leaves the train station, heading a different way than the direction they came in. He scans the area as he walks, making Reiji worry that he might have been spotted, but when Tokiya suddenly turns down another street, Reiji breathes – Tokiya was only looking for landmarks and street signs. Soon, Tokiya stops in front of a community hall. After quickly consulting his phone, he heads inside. Reiji follows at a careful distance. He notices that Tokiya has a slight smile on his face – he must be really excited, since Reiji knows Tokiya rarely allows himself to get worked up or overly emotional.

            Once inside, Tokiya consults his phone again before heading down a short hallway to the left. They pass a gymnasium full of screaming children and a room full of women knitting and laughing, then a few empty rooms before Tokiya lets himself into a room on the right. Reiji saunters past, counts to twenty, then races back to peek through the window.

            He watches as Tokiya discards his disguise, smiling and nodding politely to the several older gentlemen already present. The music store owner is there too, holding the case Tokiya paid for.

 _There it is! The exchange! I knew it!_ Sure enough, Reiji watches Tokiya and the store owner exchange cases, and Reiji watches with baited breath as Tokiya places the new case on a nearby chair and opens it up. The seconds tick by with aching slowness as Tokiya rummages around in the case, and Reiji fingers the doorknob anxiously, ready to burst in at the first sign of trouble. He’s expecting the worst, so he’s not prepared for the sight that meets his eyes when Tokiya finally straightens up and steps away from the case.

            Tokiya hefts a large glossy accordion up onto his chest, straightening the shoulder straps. It’s got a marbled blue-black finish on either side of the bellows, and the bellows itself is deep black, edged with silver. Reiji watches Tokiya’s fingers dance over the keyboard on the right while his left hand flexes in the black leather strap as his fingers hover over the ivory buttons. The store owner claps him on the back, grinning, while the other gentlemen smile and nod and make approving noises. Judging by their behaviour, Reiji guesses that they all want to hear Tokiya play. Reiji can’t blame them – he’s dying of curiosity himself. Thankfully, though the closed door makes it difficult for Reiji to make out specific conversation, the room is not soundproof, and he holds his breath as Tokiya makes himself comfortable on a chair. He watches Tokiya take a deep calming breath, close his eyes, and start to play.

            The quiet strains of some [vaguely-French sounding piece](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2UweAtj_Js) drift through the chinks around the closed door. Reiji’s breath catches in his throat – it’s beautiful, reverent, but with a certain underlying energy driving the music forward. Tokiya is clearly lost in the music, in the push and pull of the bellows that make him look like he’s almost waltzing without taking a single step. His fingers glide over the keyboard, flex over the buttons, and Reiji can’t tear his eyes away – he doesn’t dare. He realizes instinctively that this is a very private act for Tokiya, out of bounds for Reiji’s teasing. He also understands Tokiya’s reluctance to share this part of himself with his fans and bandmates. Just like his maracas, very few people take the accordion seriously as an instrument deemed “appropriate” for an idol’s image. However, Reiji’s temperament allows him to get away with his instrument – he knows the kind of fans he attracts and the styles of music he likes to create. Tokiya’s image, on the other hand, would probably suffer, since he takes every aspect of his career seriously. Perhaps as HAYATO he could have gotten away with it, but…

            Reiji pauses his train of thought. Tokiya’s nearing the end of his song, and Reiji savours the final bars before sneaking away, leaving Tokiya to enjoy his hobby in peace. Though he would love nothing more than to burst through the door and praise Tokiya to the heavens, he knows there’s a limit to how much he should meddle. Reluctantly, he heads out.

V_@_~~~ _FIN_ ~~~_@_V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny update March 19/19: I was just listening to the OST for Natsume Yuujinchou...and I realized that there's a lot of accordion in some of the pieces. I'd like to imagine Tokiya moonlighting as a studio musician with his accordion for this anime. =P


End file.
